Hair spray packages are typically either the manually actuated pump type or the aerosol type. Sprays formed from aerosols rely on a liquefied propellant to "flash off" for creating the spray, while manually actuated pump sprayers generate a hydraulic pressure which shears the liquid in the nozzle so as to create ligaments and droplets, i.e., the spray.
One of the major problems that consumers deal with when using manually actuated pumps is clogging. Clogs typically occur in the nozzle when product dries out behind and in front of the nozzle orifice insert, thereby causing a blockage which may be either full or partial. Full blockages completely interrupt flow, whereas partial blockages will typically block one or more swirl vanes resulting in a very irregular and coarse spray.
Many prior art spray packages utilize anti-clogging actuators on manually actuated sprayers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,785 to Knickerbocker discloses a protector cap that covers the discharge orifice of the nozzle insert when the spray package is not in use. The cap uncovers the nozzle when pressure is applied to the actuator, and covers it again when the pressure is released. This results in reduced drying out and clogging of residual product in the nozzle. A drawback of the Knickerbocker invention is that it requires at least one extra part that must be manufactured and assembled onto the package, resulting in increased cost and complexity, and a higher probability of malfunction. The art is replete with additional devices which utilize mechanical means for anti-clogging; however, each design requires additional parts, cost, and complexity over conventional nozzles that do not incorporate anti-clogging means.
Another major unmet need among spray package users is the inconvenience of using a separate lid or overcap to prevent accidental actuation of the sprayer, for example during traveling or other transportation of the package. Many consumers throw this overcap away immediately after purchase, having no desire to continually take the cap off before each use and put it back on after each use. Other consumers do not mind the burden of continually removing and replacing the cap before and after each use. In any event, this overcap is an extra part that must be manufactured and assembled onto the package, and may be easily lost.
The present device solves the problems of the prior art by providing an anti-clog feature which cooperates with a locking feature. The anti-clog feature is built into the package shroud, thereby eliminating extra components, and the lock feature automatically engages when the actuator of the present device is put in the anti-clog position.